#8 – Triple H
The first time Triple H headlined WrestleMania, he defeated The Rock, Mick Foley and the Big Show to retain the WWE Championship in one of the most convoluted matches ever. Following that he enjoyed a long run at the top of the company, banking on the absence of Shawn Michaels to become "the guy". The next four years featured "The Game" defending one of the two major world titles against Booker T, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, a returning HBK, and "The Animal" Batista.
WrestleMania 22 was a turning point for Triple H, as Evolution was fully dismantled and his dominant reign on top was coming to an end. John Cena would beat him for the title that night, cementing a new top guy, and a new reign that would last the better part of a decade.
I've always considered Hunter an underrated performer at WrestleMania, as he gets a lot of crap for "marrying well" and putting himself in positions of power. But Stephanie McMahon didn't wrestle Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels in one of the greatest main events in history. Politics and positioning didn't make his two-part series with The Undertaker in recent years absolute show-stealers. Triple H's place on this list was earned, not given to him.
